In today’s unpredictable climate, business owners, especially those in healthcare and dental environments, must rethink what safety means. While OSHA, HIPAA, and CPR training continue to serve as foundational compliance tools, they no longer address the full scope of risk. The reality is that physical safety in the workplace has taken on a new level of urgency. The people who walk through our doors every day, patients, vendors, delivery drivers, partners, and even our team members, are carrying more stress, more trauma, and more unpredictability than ever before. And that tension has real-world consequences.
Workplace violence is not limited to hospital ERs or large urban clinics; dental offices are just as vulnerable. According to OSHA, healthcare workers are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than those in other industries (1). In 2023, the United States saw over 650 mass shootings (2), and small healthcare practices have increasingly become unexpected targets.
But another threat often goes unnoticed within our practice walls: human trafficking, not just among patients, but potentially among our team members. While many assume trafficking is a distant issue, the reality is that younger, isolated, or financially vulnerable team members may be at risk of coercion and control. According to the Department of Homeland Security, more than 25 million people globally are victims of human trafficking (3). A team member heading to lunch, walking to their car after work, or engaging in an online relationship could unknowingly become a target. As leaders, we must create a culture of safety that includes awareness, training, and open dialogue because trafficking thrives in silence, and prevention starts with paying attention.
As a practice leader, I used to believe that our basic emergency protocols and annual compliance training were enough. But over time, both personal and professional experiences showed me otherwise. I’ve experienced the fear of being followed, I’ve been physically attacked, I’ve de-escalated emotionally charged situations in the office, and I’ve watched the aftermath of team members who froze when they didn’t know what to do. Those moments weren’t just wake-up calls; they were defining moments that shifted my entire approach to training.
Personal safety, self-defense, and active shooter preparedness should be a standard part of our annual training calendar. It’s something I do in my practice, and something I encourage my clients to consider.
At my practice, we brought in a certified trainer who led situational awareness workshops and taught realistic, hands-on strategies for de-escalating aggressive behavior, responding to active threats, including active shooter scenarios, and applying basic self-defense techniques. He also guided our team through role-playing scenarios to practice using those self-defense moves in real-time, high-stress situations. We walked through our actual building to identify exits, assess vulnerabilities, and rethink communication plans in the event of a crisis. The result wasn’t fear, it was focus, empowerment, and a shared sense of responsibility to protect one another.
The transformation was immediate. Teams, spanning multiple generations and backgrounds, reported feeling safer and more alert. They knew what to look for, how to support one another, and what actions to take if a situation became threatening. That training fostered a culture of mutual responsibility and strength, reinforcing the message that their safety was not just a policy—it was a priority.
Here is what one team member had to say.
“After the safety training, I stopped walking to my car with my head down and earbuds in. I feel more aware, and that awareness makes me feel powerful.” —Admin Team Member
Hearing that from one of our own confirmed everything I set out to do. This isn’t about instilling fear; it’s about building confidence and control. Safety doesn’t just protect your people physically; it empowers them mentally and emotionally.
For business owners, integrating this kind of training isn’t just the right thing to do. It’s a strategic decision. It reduces liability, lowers the risk of injury or trauma-driven turnover, and strengthens your team’s ability to protect themselves and others. Providing your team with real-world tools to respond to high-stress situations demonstrates a powerful leadership message: you matter.
Onboarding is one of the most overlooked opportunities to instill this mindset. New hires often feel vulnerable in their first few weeks. They don’t know your layout, they aren’t familiar with your panic protocols, and they may not feel confident enough to raise safety concerns. Including safety and threat response training from the very beginning sets the tone that protection and preparedness are core values of your organization, not afterthoughts.
There’s no such thing as too early or too late to begin this work. Whether you’re a solo practitioner or lead a team of fifty, the call to protect goes far beyond compliance checklists. Safety is the new standard of leadership, and the most effective leaders are those who prepare their people before the crisis ever begins.
If you’re ready to bring this training to your team, start by reaching out to your local police or sheriff’s department. many now offer complimentary or low-cost training sessions on active shooter response and personal safety. You can also partner with certified self-defense instructors in your community who specialize in these types of workplace seminars. The key is to start somewhere because safety training isn’t just preparation. It’s prevention.
Cited References:
- OSHA. (2023). Workplace Violence in Healthcare: Understanding the Challenge. https://www.osha.gov/workplace-violence
- Gun Violence Archive. (2023). Mass Shooting Incidents in the United States. https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting
- Department of Homeland Security. (2024). What Is Human Trafficking? https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking
